Term: Electromagnetic spectrum

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Term: Electromagnetic spectrum

Definition:

The electromagnetic spectrum (EM) is a model listing and classifying the entire range of electromagnetic radiation, with one end of the spectrum listing the EM radiation with the highest frequency and therefore with the most energy, such as gamma rays. The other end of the spectrum lists the EM radiation with the lowest frequency and lowest energy, such as radio. The units describing the EM spectrum can be wavelength, frequency or the energy of the photons. There is an inverse relationship between the wavelength of the electromagnetic (EM) radiation and the energy as well as the frequency. EM radiation of shorter wavelength, such as that in the ultraviolet or x-ray has more relative energy than EM in the visible or infrared. This energy is commonly experienced as a sunburn caused by the ultraviolet radiation emitted by the sun.

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